The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1908. COMMERCIAL WELLINGTON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 122, 15 February 1908, Page 4

The Dominion. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1908. COMMERCIAL WELLINGTON.

The annual report of the Chamber of Commerce, which we notice at. some length in our news column's to-day, is'the first which we have bpon called upon to ileal with. If we may offer a brief criticism:of ; the- method pursued, iu-'drawing- up this annual document,' we would, suggest that it partakes too much of the character of a brief' and rather- scrappy summary of _ the chief /events' in the commercial. lifeof [the ,city. In the past there has occasion-, ally appeared in these reports a distinctly polemical tone, anil this seems to us' not a bad thing. Its absence from the report under notice makes; the record rather dry reading, a juice: less ■ 'chronible'r' of facts '.'pretty -,wel) known to There should be room' in the report for a little more criticism, .even if; criticism- -meant greater length. There is not a great deal in the reportthat. invites comment/ and nothing 1 tliiit' disagreement,' although' our Auckland 'friends -may have_ something, to say upon the,; comparison . between their city and Wellington .-as.'centres _of trade. '• Not only is there a 'gratifying continuance of, the upward movement of all' the trade figures' relating to Wellington, -but those figures now establish Beyond any question the preeminence of the port over the other commercial- centres of the. Dominion. ■For the year ended September 30 last the total -import and' export; trade of tiie Dominioii represented a total value nearer thirtyrSeven' than thirty-six millions sterling,' an increase-of over four and a half millions in one year, and nearly nine millions in three years.; A satisfactory feature .of the increase is it's larger dependence; in the -main, upon increased quantities thaii upon increased values. ''It is not suflici'ent, when considering our staple exports, to take into account only the actual increase in values_. An increase ; in, the total values which is accompanied by ,a. stationary or diminishing output is a subject rather for anxiety than for rejoicing,, since _ a slump in the foreign markets will, in such a case, produce a serious situation. ' With the exception of kauri gum and cereals, the 1 chief exports show"an. increase, in quantity, fully two-thirds of the net increase for the year being, due, as ■ the report points out, to. enlarged; output. The later figures of this": week's " Gazette" show that the. total imports of Wellington -during 1907 amounted - to .£5,248,725, or nearly of the total imports of the Dominion, and nearly three-quarters of a million in advance of the Auckland figures. Similarly, in exports, Wellington accounted in 1907 for,, £3,918,512, or one-fifth of the total for the Dominion, and half a million sterling more, than Auckland. In shipping, also, the true figures show that on tonnage Wellington easily leads the way. This material progress is in every way. satisfactory. IJpon other portions of the report of the Chamber we have little tc say. Some very pertinent, observations are made, however, upon the position of the Hutt railway duplication. Three years ago the Council of the Chamber was- congratulating members upon the beginning. of this long-delayed work; In those thre< years .a good deal lias been done, bu the rate of progress has been infinitely slower than it should have been, an< .the Council is voicing public opinio] quite. accurately when it declares tha the " extraordinary delay " attendiuj the work has " created a strong feel ing of disappointment and annoyanc in the community."